


These Tears Are Pearl

by pandorabox82



Category: Dead Like Me
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2018-07-10 10:45:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6981175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandorabox82/pseuds/pandorabox82
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Delores is made a new Reaper, it's up to George to take her under her wing and train her in the ways of Reaping. But how can she do that when the woman feels betrayed by her and is hardly speaking to her? Features the return of Rube!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

George looked at the Post-It note Rube handed her. While it had been odd that he had disappeared for some time after Der Waffle Haus had burnt down, and they had had to deal with that new head reaper, he was now back and everything was as it should be. Until she looked at that Post-It. "Delores? You want me to reap Delores?"

"Well, actually, Peanut, we're going to reap her together. She's going to become one of us. I got the orders today." Her eyes widened as she looked at him.

"And I suppose you want me to babysit her."

He shrugged. "The big guy seems to think she'll need a little extra hand-holding. Given how you've talked about her, I would have to agree in this case. Are you ready to head out?"

Reluctantly, she nodded and stood up, following him out to his car. While she had become accustomed to Delores over the years, even going so far as to build a quasi-friendship with her, she didn't know how she felt about being around her for the rest of eternity. Betty had been an anomaly, no one escaped this existence. And the façade of perpetual perkiness that Delores continued to wear would soon be grating.

They were silent on the drive over to Delores's home. As Rube parked in front of a little house surrounded by shrubs, George knew that this was going to be more difficult than she had anticipated. She tried to tell herself that she was losing her sarcastic streak, becoming overly sentimental and maudlin, but her inner voice wasn't listening to any of that today. Instead, she looked at the gravelings surrounding the house and shook her head sadly. This job would break her, she was certain of that.

"We have to go in now, Peanut. It's almost time." George nodded and leaned into the hand on her shoulder. Together, they walked up the sidewalk and onto her porch. George knocked softly on the door, waiting for Delores to make her appearance. The door opened minutes later and she watched the woman plaster a smile on her face.

"Millie! What are you doing here on a Saturday? And with your sponsor?" She tugged her robe closed around her chest, and for the first time, George took in the tear tracks on her face.

"I needed to talk to someone about my cravings, and Rube suggested it be you, since you're a fellow woman and all." The lie sounded lame to her own ears. After years of lying, everything was starting to sound hollow to her and she longed for the day when she could speak truth once more. If Rube was to be believed, then that was a long time off yet.

"Well, then, come inside, both of you." It seemed as if the perkiness was more forced today than normal, and George tried to smile as she nodded. Delores must have recognized something in that gesture, as she sighed and rubbed her upper arm gently. "Can I get you anything? Water, tea, coffee?"

"Water would be nice, Delores," Rube answered before George could say anything. Once the woman had left the room, he said lowly, "You're the one who's going to take her soul, I'm just here to explain why she won't be moving on. The overdose should be kicking in shortly."

"Overdose?" George hissed, looking at him askance.

"Unfortunately, yes. Sometimes sorrows build up on themselves until they are too heavy a burden to bear. She's going to try and shoo us out after we drink our obligatory glass. When you take it from her hand, take her soul as well. I'll handle the rest."

"Okay." She felt sick about having to do this, and again, she didn't know why. It's not like she was best friends with the woman, or anything ridiculous like that. She heard the soft sounds of footsteps, heard the slight hitch in the step that indicated the overdose was affecting her coordination. "Thanks, Delores." As she took the glass from her hand, she let her fingers skim over the back and she shuddered as she saw the familiar smoke wisp off her.

The woman took a seat in one of the uncomfortable looking chairs and nervously sipped at the water. There was a slight tremor to her grasp and George bit her lip. "You'll have to tell everyone at work that I'm sorry for not being there, when Monday comes. I'm afraid that I'm becoming sick."

George nodded, the lie making her stomach roil. "I hate to hear that, Delores. What will we do without your big brown eyes to watch over us?"

Their eyes met, and George saw the truth shining there. She wanted to cry, which was stupid, it wasn't like Delores was a family member. Yet there was something heartbreaking about her being so alone, even at the end of her life. "I'm sure you'll find someone just as suitable for the job."

George nodded slightly, sipping at her water before looking at her watch. "Where's your bathroom?

"Just down the hall. It has a kitty door, so M-Murray could use his litter box when the door was closed." She nodded again, trying to blink back tears as she stood and left the room, unable to watch Delores die. She's already taken her soul, wasn't that enough?

She stayed in the bathroom long enough for Rube and the gravelings to accomplish their mission and then rejoined them. It was odd to see the dead body and the new spirit form of Delores together. "You!" she hissed out as she pointed at George. "All along you've been my Millie? I can't believe I trusted you. I can't work with her, I don't care what you say."

George tried to hide the pain Delores's words caused her, but she was sure Rube had noticed the look before she could put up her mask. "Well, be that as it may, you need a babysitter, since you are a fresh Reaper. If there's anything you want to take with you from the house, I'd pack it up now. You have twenty minutes."

Delores nodded once and disappeared upstairs. "Rube, this is not going to work out."

"Come here, Peanut." He opened up his arms and she willingly stepped into them, letting him hug her tightly. "You are still the Millie she came to care for, that was your personality that you put out there for her to like. It's just going to take her time to see your heart behind your face. There is an inherent sadness in all of us, and she'll see that, eventually."

George tried to nod as she let a few tears escape. "This is going to really suck, isn't it?"

"Probably. But that's life for you." He kissed her forehead lightly and let go of her. "Now, do you think you can muddle through this for me?"

"I suppose." She tried to pull her sullen expression back over her face, but knew that it was no use, she was too torn up over someone who shouldn't even matter to her in the scheme of things. Exactly twenty minutes later, Delores reappeared with a large suitcase and two duffle bags in her arms.

"I'm ready," she said, not looking at George. "Where are we going?"

"To your new home, where you can drop off your things, and then to the DMV to get you set up with a new identity. After that, it's off to our meeting house so that we can get you introduced to everyone and explain some of the rules to you."

Delores nodded twice, choppy movements so unlike her normal self, and once more, George felt things she shouldn't, and she lowered her chin to her chest, trudging after Rube and the other woman. As they put Delores's bags in the trunk, George climbed in the back seat, curling up in a ball as she stared unseeing at the grey Seattle sky.


	2. Chapter 2

Rube pulled to a stop in front of George's house. "Here we are, ladies. Would you like some help inside, Delores?"

The woman shook her head and opened the door, hopping out of the car. Rube pushed the button to open the trunk and looked at George in the rearview mirror. "You have ten minutes, Peanut."

"If I'm not back in that amount of time, come looking for me. Even if she can't kill me." George stepped out and went to the trunk, taking the handle of the suitcase and pulling it out. "Follow me, I'll show you up to your room."

Delores gave her a jerky nod and bit her lip. George knew that she was itching to get away from her, and so she said nothing as she led her up to Daisy's old room. She and Mason had taken off on another assignment, and while she missed him, she wasn't sorry to see the back of her. "Are there fresh linens anywhere?"

"In the linen closet. But there's not much of a choice, I'm afraid. Sheets are expensive." George shrugged and Delores just shook her head.

"I guess I should have brought a set of my own." Delores pursed her lips and set her bags down. George set the suitcase next to them and waited for her to say something. "Since we only have ten minutes, can I get the short tour of my new home?"

"Follow me." George led her around the upstairs, avoiding her room.

"And what's behind that door?" Delores asked pointedly.

"My room." The words were sullen, and she opened the door, letting the other woman peek inside.

"You really do have a terrarium," she heard her murmur, and George felt a lump raise in her throat. "Well, let's see the first floor." Delores backed out of the room and waited for George to join her. Going downstairs, she did a quick once through, focusing on the kitchen and living room.

"We should probably get going. The lines at the DMV are long."

"What?"

"Yeah, we're not really dead. I thought you would have figured that out, since I'm not Millie anymore. The others see us in our new bodies while we see ourselves as who we are. We need to eat, we have to take care of body issues, all that the joys of living, with the add perk of helping mortals shuffle of their coil."

"I thought he was joking about that…" Delores seemed to shrink in on herself, the happy smile she normally wore disappearing from her face. "I'll have to get another job, won't I?"

"Probably. If you can. Maybe you could take up crafts and sell them on the internet. You're good at scrapbooking, after all."

Delores nodded absently and then crossed her arms in front of her. As George watched, a few tears rolled down her cheeks. "Well, let's head out." Even her voice was lackluster and she had to fight to keep her hands at her side, to not reach out and clasp her hand. Instead, she nodded and led her outside, to where Rube waited in the car. Once more, Delores took the passenger seat and George the back.

"Did you get everything straightened out?" he asked as he began to drive.

"So far." Delores spoke in a clipped tone, one George had never heard her use before, and it bothered her. Slumping back in her seat, she stared at the back of Rube's head, not wanting to meet either pair of eyes in the mirrors.

When they got to the DMV, George slumped in one of the hard plastic chairs as Rube and Delores got in line. It seemed to take forever and she tapped her foot absently as she tried to think of ways to avoid Delores when they were together at the house. She didn't want to fight with the woman; she'd grown to like her over the course of their years together at Happy Time.

Finally, Rube came over to her side and took a seat. "Are you ready to head out, peanut?"

"I guess." They stood and joined Delores over by the door. She wouldn't look at George, instead thrusting a picture at her. "What?"

"This is what I look like now, to them." She sounded sad, so sad, and George glanced at the picture. "My eyes are blue…" The woman in the picture looked older than Delores was, sort of like how she looked as Millie. Her hair was red, a dark red, and George smiled a little. "What?"

"You look like someone I'd like to know," she responded without thinking and Delores hrpmhed under her breath. "What? You do." George shut down and handed the picture back to the older woman. Pushing past them, she stalked to the car and threw herself into the back seat. In her head, she knew she was being petulant and childish, but she didn't really care at this point. She just wanted the day to be over.

"We're not going reaping today, peanut," Rube said as he climbed in the car. "Roxy took over your duties for today, and we'll get started fresh in the morning. Use tonight to get accustomed to each other."

She glared at the back of his head, knowing that he was only doing this to make things smooth between Delores and herself. "Whatever."

George tuned out the conversation that Rube struck up with Delores, turning her head to stare out the window. Sighing deeply, she shook her head and blinked rapidly to stop the tears that kept creeping out of her tear ducts. She was not about to let Delores get to her, she was stronger than that. Even if that meant she was going to lose one of the precious few friends she had.

"…I said, do you want me to stay and make supper?" Snapping up to attention, George met Rube's eye in the rearview mirror and nodded. "All right, sounds like a plan, peanut."

"Thanks, Rube." Hesitantly, she glanced over at Delores and saw that she had been crying, too. Their eyes met and she looked away quickly, unable to hold her gaze for very long. It hurt her heart too much. "I suppose it'll be spaghetti. I think that's the only thing I have in my cupboard right now."

"I'll see what I can whip up." She nodded and settled back in the seat once more.

"Reggie wants to come over again soon."

"You know you aren't supposed to have contact with her, George."

"Yeah, well that went out the window with Cameron. She knows what I am, who I am, and I can't just turn that off."

Rube sighed and pulled out his wallet, handing her the picture of his daughter. "If I had interfered in her life, things could have been vastly different, but it would have caused us nothing but hurt. You are doing the same thing by interacting with Reggie. I came back to help you out, since you didn't want to be the leader. You've been doing this for five years now, it is more than time you started to mature mentally."

They both heard Delores sniffle and she looked at the other woman , frowning slightly. "What?"

"Millie, George, whoever, should be allowed to see her sister. Family is important." The sorrow that tinged Delores's voice felt like needles pricking George's skin and she hugged herself, not wanting to do something stupidly rash.

"That's not the way our world works, Delores. I'm sorry."

"Oh." And then George saw her right hand awkwardly slip to the back, her fingers waggling. Unable to not accept the overture, she clasped the hand, squeezing twice before letting go, her heart feeling a little lighter.


	3. Chapter 3

Rube took off shortly after he had helped them with the dishes. Things had become a little more relaxed between the two women and he smiled and ruffled George's hair before leaving. "Take care of her, peanut. I have the feeling that this one, like you, is special."

"I'll try, Rube." He nodded and left and they were alone. "So, did you want to talk?"

"I'd rather not tonight, Mil-George. I think I'm going up to my room." George watched Delores trudge up the stairs. Her heart thudded heavily as she went into the living room and flipped on the television. She couldn't find anything that interested her, and she turned it right back off and lay on the couch staring up at the ceiling. Upstairs, she could hear the shower running and she let her eyes close as she listened to the falling water.

Minutes later, she heard a sharp, harsh, scream. Bolting up, George listened for the sound again, but nothing was forthcoming. She jumped to her feet and quickly climbed the stairs, stopping in front of the bathroom door. "Delores? Delores?"

She waited for some response before trying the door handle. It wasn't locked and so she turned it and opened the door a crack. "Go away!"

"No. I heard you scream and I need to make sure that you're okay. Rube told me to look out for you, and I won't let him down."

"Oh, you mean the way you let me down?" The question was vicious, barbed, and struck home too well.

As George struggled not to cry, she pressed on ahead into the room. Delores was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, a towel wrapped around her body. She tried not to look at the woman as she sat on the toilet, clasping her hands. "How did I ever let you down?"

"I think you know, Georgia." The use of her full name surprised her and she looked up at Delores. Those big brown eyes were sad, so sad, and George felt her own eyes well up. "Don't! Don't think you know what I'm feeling!" Delores stood quickly and pushed past her, heading to her room. George let her be for a few long minutes and then felt herself compelled to check on the woman again.

"Come on, Delores. Rube said we had to talk and work this out," she said to the closed door. She put her hand on the doorknob, only for the door to be yanked open. She took a step back and looked at the woman. She was still angry and her eyes were red rimmed.

"There's nothing to work out, Georgia."

"My name is George. I hate being called Georgia." Her voice was flat, monotone, and she looked down at the floor, not wanting to see the anger and disappointment in her eyes. Too late to stop them, a few tears tracked down her face and from the corner of her eye, she watched Delores reach up and wipe them away. They both froze and George felt her breath hitch. Biting her cheek hard, she tried to stem the flow of her tears.

Delores closed her arms around George, leading her in and over to the bed. They sat heavily and she rocked her back and forth, letting her cry. "I'll remember that, George." Her touch was so comforting and George felt herself relaxing into the woman, relishing the warmth of Delores's body so close to hers. None of the Reapers were especially affectionate, and she had no close friends in her fringe-living life, so this embrace was so very welcome to her. "Shh, George, everything will be fine."

She tried to nod, only to realize that doing so would rub her face in Delores's chest. Instead, she just nestled in closer to the woman, holding on to her tightly. "I never said I was sorry, you know, when I left Happy Time for that day. I didn't realize then how much you cared and how I had just thrown that back in your face."

The hand that was rubbing her back stilled for a moment before resuming the soft motion. "I always had a soft spot for you, Georgie." The endearment startled her, and yet, it warmed her heart. They fell back on the bed and she curled up into Delores, not wanting to lose contact with her. "You always were someone I could depend on."

"I never was the dependable sort when I was alive," she said lowly, tightening her arm around Delores's waist. Somehow it felt right to be here, in her arms, and she let her eyes flutter closed, not wanting to leave this haven she offered.

"I see." George made a noncommittal noise in the back of her throat. "Well, I'm glad that this is changing now." George nodded and snuggled closer, sleep making the edges of her vision all grey and fuzzy. "I suppose you're going to fall asleep now."

"Maybe, if you were to stop talking. Usually my pillows don't talk. Or, if they do, they aren't as perky sounding as you are." George knew she was being a bit petulant, but she really did want to be getting to sleep and Delores was so soft and comfortable.

"And you're going to stay here?"

"Well, I hadn't planned on it until you pulled me down on the bed. Now, I feel too lazy to get up and go to my own room. Will that be a problem?"

Delores was quiet for a long moment, though she didn't stop the circular rubbing motions on George's back. "I don't think so." George found herself smiling as she relaxed once more in her arms. "If you had lived, what would you have done with your life?"

"Who knows? I had no ambition, really. I was a blank canvas and couldn't find anything worth filling it with. And, I'm sorry to say, that I was no scrapbooker. I just did it to please you."

"I could tell. A lot of our coworkers did that to humor me." George felt her sigh and wondered just how much Delores really knew about what went on behind her back at Happy Time. "But sometimes it is easier to pretend that everything is hunky dory than to face the reality that you're a laughing stock."

There was a bitterness and sorrow in her voice that George recognized, having heard it in her own often enough when she talked to Rube. "You always tried to make me feel welcome, though. I did appreciate that." George yawned, the fuzzy feeling returning to her brain. "I loved that about you, you know. You always made me feel safe and wanted. Not like my mother, or anyone else in my life. Except maybe Rube. He treats me like an errant daughter, though, most times. I want a friend, a companion, someone as loyal as you."

"That's sweet." George felt her press her lips to the top of her head, and she sighed as she closed her eyes. "Now, go to sleep, Georgie. We can talk more in the morning." She tried to nod, but her head was too heavy. Instead, she tightened her grip on Delores's waist, letting sleep steal over her as she nestled as close as she could to her friend.


	4. Chapter 4

When George woke up, she felt cocooned in warmth. Stretching a little, she found her hands encountering soft, giving, flesh. Blinking a little, she focused on who was sleeping next to her. "Delores?" she asked softly, trying to figure out why she was in the same bed as the other woman. Then the previous night came rushing back to the forefront of her brain and she groaned in embarrassment.

The other woman woke up at the noise and looked at her. Her face was still open to George and she saw the confused yearning that was quickly masked by the familiar chipper smile. "Good morning, Georgie. Did you sleep well?"

She nodded, sitting up to wrap her arms around her legs. "I did, thanks. You make a good pillow, what can I say. Now, get dressed, we have to meet Rube this morning." For some strange reason, she hoped that Delores would hug her again, but the mention of Rube seemed to bring her circumstances back to the forefront of her mind.

"Oh, yes, that business." Her words, while still chipper, were closed off and she pulled away from George to scoot back against the headboard of the bed. "Do we have to do that very often?"

"Every day. It's very rare for Death to go on vacation." Delores nodded and sighed. "I'll get ready and see you downstairs in ten minutes." George slipped from the room and padded over to her room. Closing the door, she leaned against it, breathing deeply. This was going to be a rather long day, she could feel it in her bones.

Slowly, she stripped off yesterday's clothes and stuffed them in her hamper before putting on fresh things. It was a Sunday, so she could dress down a little since she didn't have to go in to work. When she had finished dressing, she brushed her hair and impulsively added a headband to keep it from her face. She knew Delores had always liked it when she wore her hair back, and she wanted to make her happy today.

Heading downstairs, she smelled breakfast and she went into the kitchen. Delores was standing at the stove, flipping pancakes, and George smiled happily. "You know, we meet at a restaurant, you didn't need to make food for us."

"It will save us money to eat here. And I need to keep myself occupied somehow."

George nodded and sat on the counter, watching her finish up. She was handed a plate and fork minutes later and Delores took a seat at the table to eat. "So, are there any questions I could answer for you before we head over to the diner?"

"I don't think so. I mean, what is there to know about being Death?"

"That it hurts," she mumbled as she stuffed a large bite in her mouth.

"It hurts?" Delores asked.

"Not in the physical sense. But having to take the soul of someone who shouldn't have to die does hurt your heart. My first murder was the worst thing ever." She sighed and took another bite of food, relishing the delicious taste. "The ones that hurt the most, though, are the children. Our division deals with the deaths that result from murder, suicide, and accidents. At least in our area, there aren't many children murdered."

The slow nod caused George to swallow hard, knowing that she had hurt the woman. "We have to take care of children?"

"Yeah. And I'm not going to lie, it sucks. It's one thing to die at eighteen, another to die at six." She finished up her food and then hopped off the counter, setting the plate in the sink. "Are you almost finished?"

"Yes." Her voice was small and George came up to her side, rubbing her shoulder softly.

Delores looked up at her, her eyes wet. "It gets a little easier with time. And, you'll have me to help you along, even though that might be of little help." George held out her hand and Delores grabbed onto it, squeezing lightly.

"Perhaps it will help more than you realize." The soft look in her eyes had returned, and George felt like she was being drawn in to some secret place that the woman never showed to anyone else. "How are we going to get to this diner? I didn't see a car in your driveway."

George blushed a little. "I found that I really like biking places. Usually that gets me by, or I take public transportation. The diner is within easy walking distance from here." Delores nodded and stood, putting the plate in the sink as well.

Together, they walked out the front door and she locked it before heading down the porch to the sidewalk. George was surprised when Delores reached out for her hand, holding it the entire time their walk took.

Rube looked up at them and smiled as they took a seat across from him in the booth. "Good morning, ladies. Roxy is already out on her assignment, she drew an early post-it note. There's a double for you two today." He handed over two post-it notes to George. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, I think it should be just us, Rube." George shrugged at his nod and handed over one of the notes to Delores. "Now, these tell us what our assignment of the day is. This is the name of the person…"

"How are we supposed to know who to deal with from an initial and a last name? There could be hundreds of K. Johnson's out there."

"Well, we also get a location to find them at. And a time we have to take the soul by. Roxy likes to wait until after the accident has happened before popping their soul, but, like Rube, I prefer to take them beforehand. It's kinder that way." Delores nodded, a deep frown forming on her lips. "What's wrong?"

"What happens if I just say no? If I refuse to take a person's soul?"

George looked at Rube. "Bad things happen, Delores. I didn't want to take my first soul, either, and let him go to the morgue, welching out on my job. Rube dragged me there and showed me exactly what happens in that case, and I never wanted to see that again. Believe me, I don't want that to happen to you." _It would destroy you,_ she thought.

Delores nodded and took a deep breath. "Well, it looks like I have two hours to find this person. Are we going to head out now?"

There was no enthusiasm in her lackluster voice and George slowly nodded. "Why don't you head outside while I talk to Rube a second?" She slid out and Delores got out, heading outside. "This is going to destroy her," she hissed at him. "Can't you see that?"

"It wasn't my decision to do this, peanut. I'm sorry." And he did seem genuinely sorrowful. That knowledge helped to ease her heart a little, but still, the thought of Delores as a Reaper just seemed so at odds with her personality. "Now go, get out there, and help introduce her to our world."

"All right, see you tomorrow." George got up and joined Delores outside. "Do you know where we're headed?"

"I've been to this park before. It's just across town, so we could catch the bus over to it."

"Okay." They walked over to the bus stop and waited for it to appear. "So, what did you really want to do with your life?" She asked suddenly, wanting to know more about Delores.

"I would have loved to have done something that made people happy. I guess Fate had something else in store for me, even in death." A wry smile passed across her face as she patted George's knee. "There's no stopping you from doing anything you wanted, even in this weird half-life we have. You're so young."

"And we're supposed to live a fringe life. So even if I did want to be a writer, I could never use either of my names. I have to stay in the shadows."

"Oh." The hand on her knee tightened and George keenly felt her heart ache in response. This was going to take her so long to get used to.


	5. Chapter 5

Like George had assumed, Delores had broken down the minute the accident had claimed the lives of Kevin and Linda Johnson. It wasn't loud sobs, or screams, like the previous evening. Instead, it was a quiet, soft, rain of tears down her cheeks as she followed George's lead in guiding the couple's souls into the afterlife. Since the day stretched before them, she decided to stay in the park, leading the distraught woman over to a bench.

"Will it get any easier?" she asked softly.

"It took me a long time to find the right perspective. Rube would say you're too close to the painting, you can see only the splotches of color, not the picture itself. That's how I was, even months later."

Delores nodded and then rested her head on George's shoulder. "Georgie?"  
"Yes, Delores?"

"If I'm dead, how come my heart hurts so much? Shouldn't that have stopped with death?"

"It doesn't really work that way. We still get to feel the gamut of human emotions, even if we don't want to." She sighed, wondering how she could explain to Delores something she didn't even really understand herself. "You like to give people nicknames."

"I do, it's always been a part of my nature." A soft blush spread across her cheeks and she looked down at her hands, clasped in her lap. "I just wanted to feel close to people, since no one ever seemed to want to let me in."

"Oh." George felt like the air had been sucked from her lungs. "But what about those men you always used to find on those websites?"

"They were only after one thing. They seemed to think that a lonely old woman would willingly fall into bed with them with the least little attention. I went down the cheap sex road when I was younger, back when I was struggling with my addiction. I wanted love."

George felt her heart constrict a little more at those soft words and she felt herself reaching out to cover Delores's hands. The woman looked up at her, and she was able to see that her eyes were so bright with tears. "Don't cry, Delores, please."

"I can't help it, I've always been a crier," she said lowly, closing her eyes. The movement caused a few of those tears to slip down her cheeks and George reached up and brushed them away. "Everyone will talk about what happened to me tomorrow at work. Please, don't gossip about me, don't tell them what you know."

The raw pain in Delores's voice sounded as if someone had peeled a bandage off a wound and let all the pus and blood ooze out. "I would never do that to you." Delores nodded and then rested her head on George's shoulder. She was unsure of exactly how to comfort the woman, and so she was silent, just sitting there and listening to the shaky breaths that spoke to the fact that Delores was still crying.

Eventually, those breaths evened out, and she knew that Delores had fallen asleep on her shoulder. George let her sleep, knowing it would do her good, while she watched the people pass by. There was something soothing about just sitting still and being, and she found herself relaxing, her hand coming to rest on the older woman's upper thigh.

Unconsciously, she started to rub her thumb back and forth. From her sleep, Delores let out a soft moan and she stilled her motions, startled by the reaction she was eliciting in the woman. She recognized the sounds of arousal, even if she had only had sex once. She had heard Mason and Daisy go at it often enough to know what arousal was. "It's time to wake up, Delores. It's time to go home."

Slowly, the woman's eyes opened, and she looked at her. George felt the breath sucked from her lungs as she saw those big blue eyes focus on her own, the desire rapidly twisting into despair. "Georgie? Did you feel like this when you first became…what we are?"

"No," she answered honestly. "I have never felt like this before. I don't know what this is." And then, she leaned in and brushed her lips against Delores's, quickly, softly, hesitantly. Pulling back, she once more looked into her eyes, giving her a small smile.

"Oh, my Georgie girl," she breathed out. "Could we go home now?" In those words, George heard the yearning, the longing, the desire, begin to be buttoned up under propriety and decorum. Nodding, she stood and held her hand out to the woman, hoping that she would accept it without question.

As soon as their fingers brushed, George felt that same spark from earlier. It was confusing, heady, wonderful, and she wondered what it meant. Delores wouldn't look at her as they walked hand in hand over to the bus stop. "I had a car, you know."

"Had?"

"Yeah. I sold it, to pay the taxes on the house. I figured that I could just as easily get around on foot or bicycle."

Delores nodded, tightening her grip on her hand. "I wish I had known. I could have helped you out. I would have helped you out."

"I know. And I couldn't ask that of you. It wouldn't have been fair." Slowly, Delores began to rub her thumb against her hand. "Stop."

The thumb instantly stilled, and George heard the older woman's breath hitch in her throat. "I'm sorry," she whispered, those words tinged with a sorrow beyond words.

"Oh, god, Delores, you are going to kill me with your words and looks." The words slipped from her lips before she could stop them and they paused. She could feel those big brown eyes looking at her, but she couldn't meet them. Finally, though, Delores's free hand came up to cup her face, pulling her up so that she would meet her eye.

"You've already destroyed me." George took in the tears, the hurt, and it was all she could do not to lean in, to kiss away those sparkling drops. "I don't know what to stop. Stop caring about you? Stop holding on to the one piece of my life that makes any sense? Stop moving? Which is it, Georgie-girl?"

"Stop breaking my heart. Stop forcing me to care. Stop making me feel these feelings." She glanced away, focusing on the line of her dimples. "I don't understand these feelings, the only way I can describe them is as desire. And that is the most ridiculous thing my brain has ever come up with, even if you are beautiful."

Her next words were cut off my Delores's lips crashing against hers, kissing her hungrily. George went with it, wrapping her arms around the woman's neck as the kiss lingered on. It was the culmination of everything they had been driving at these past few days, and George didn't want these feelings to end. Finally, though, Delores ended the embrace, her breasts heaving against George's own. "No one has ever called me beautiful before," she said lowly. "I, I'll walk home. I need to think about things."

"You don't know where home is, Delores. Could we at least walk together?" Stepping back, she once more held out her hand to the woman, her heart desperately beating as she waited for rejection. And then, Delores clasped her hand hesitantly, threading their fingers together.

"Lead the way, Georgie."

"All right. I will."


	6. Chapter 6

George's feet were aching by the time they reached home. Once inside the door, Delores had drifted up to her bedroom, and she had slipped into the kitchen, wanting to find some way to still the fast beating of her heart. Yet all she seemed to be able to focus on was how soft Delores's lips had felt against hers, how right it had felt to have her arms around her waist, holding her close. And she had no idea why one simple kiss had discombobulated her so.

Sighing, she made her way up to her bedroom and flopped back onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Today had ended up exactly like she had thought, and it while it wasn't a surprise to her, she still ached to know that there was a piece of Delores's soul that was being ground to dust beneath the weight of taking other people's souls. Not everyone was made for this job, as she had tried to tell Rube, but it seemed like Delores was going to have to continue on with this half-life George had found herself in.

Turning onto her side, she stared into her terrarium, trying to let watching her pet lull her into a false sense of calm. That didn't seem to be working very well, and after a short time, she curled up into a ball and hugged her pillow close to her chest as she sighed and closed her eyes, trying to think about nothing in particular, to allow her brain to zone out and think of nothing beyond what she was going to have for supper later on that evening.

A soft scratching sound on her door caught George's attention, and she knew that Delores wanted to talk, wanted to process, wanted to get it all out of her before she went crazy. It was something she had noticed while working at Happy Time, that Delores had chosen a few people she trusted and just spewed words at them until it was completely out of her system. And now, her world had shrunk down to just George, and there was no one else to listen to her. Letting out a deep sigh, she called out over her shoulder, "Come in!"

The door creaked open, and still, she didn't turn around, not wanting to look at the woman. "Georgie girl? Would you mind if I joined you?"

"That's fine," she murmured, listening intently to the soft footfalls cross the floor and then she felt the bed dip beneath Delores's weight. It took a moment, but then she was stretched out on the mattress, a tiny sliver of space between the two of them, as if she couldn't bear to invade George's space fully.

"I think I'll come around to this, in time. After all, I just have to remember that it's like any other job. And not everyone loves their job, that sometimes a job is just something we have to do to survive. And that's what this is, my way to survive." The words were less rushed than George had expected them to be, and for that reason, it bothered her more, since she knew that they were truer to Delores's heart than she'd most likely care to admit. "My heart still hurts."

The torn whisper was followed by a choked sob, and George pursed her lips together in order to not let out a frustrated noise. And then, Delores was turning onto her side, curving her body to fit around George's, and hesitantly let her arm come to rest around George's waist. She forced herself to relax, to allow her body to melt a little so that Delores felt like she wasn't being rejected by her, too.

The gesture seemed welcome to Delores, as she snuggled in closer to George's side, pressing her cheek softly against her shoulder as she continued to cry disconsolately. A small part of George hoped that this wouldn't happen every time they went reaping, as it would get old quickly, but another part of her knew that at least Delores was in touch with her feelings and could express them so well. George still had a difficult time admitting that she had a heart, much to her mother's consternation.

"I've told you, this does get easier with time. You develop a thicker skin as the days go on."

"I don't want to leave my humanity behind."

George finally let out the sigh that had been threatening to escape her lips since Delores had joined her, and turned over so that she could look at the woman. For some reason, she looked impossibly older, smaller, frailer, in that moment, and George closed her eyes as she leaned in and pressed her lips against the older woman's forehead, giving her the comfort she had often longed for while growing up. "You don't have to let it take that from you, Delores, not if you don't want to. Some people are good at putting everything into a tidy little box and not letting it impact them. Others get ornery."

"And what about me? How will I learn to cope?"

She shook her head a little as she began to card her fingers through the woman's brown hair, not really knowing what else to do. "I know that, in time, you will find your footing once more. And we'll be in this together. Okay?"

She didn't know why she had made that commitment to Delores, other than it felt right in the moment, but it seemed to be enough to calm her a little, and she nodded a little as she scooted closer to George, once more hiding her face away from her by hooking her chin over George's shoulder, turning her head so that it faced George's, as she could feel the warm breaths wash over her skin at irregular moments. She shivered a little, trying to tamp down the unwelcome feeling of desire that was stirred up by that feel. "If I fall asleep here, would you just let me be? Please?"

"Sure," she replied, a little too quickly, but that didn't seem to faze Delores in the slightest, since she let out a long, low, breath before spreading her hand out on George's back, her thumb absently rubbing back and forth as an almost comfortable silence came over the room. It didn't take long for Delores to slip off to sleep, and George knew the moment it happened, as her thumb stilled and her arm became a heavy weight on her waist.

George listened to the quiet fall over the room, wishing that some of that peace would filer into her heart. She knew that that was futile, though, especially when the source of her angst was laying so sweetly in her arms. A small snort of derision escaped her nose before she could stop it, and she quickly glanced down at Delores, trying to make certain that she was still asleep. Other than the older woman burrowing closer to her body, she seemed to remain deep in slumber, and George found herself grateful for small miracles.

"I wasn't really planning on falling asleep just now, Delores," she whispered as she lifted her free hand and started to run her fingers through her short hair. The soft, silky, feel of it soothed her, lulled her, into a light sleep herself, trying to keep her thoughts on what was going to happen in the future.


	7. Chapter 7

Rube had just given them tandem sticky notes again when George noticed out of the corner of her eye that Delores was staring at the plate in front of her, her face downcast as she picked at the pancakes. Rube seemed to notice her look as well, since he clucked his tongue a little in consternation. "When do you think that you'll be ready to reap on your own, Delores?" he asked, almost as if he expected an answer from her right away.

But just as George expected, Delores took no notice of the words spoken to her, and she reached out and touched the older woman's arm lightly. Delores raised her chin a little, turning her head just slightly to focus her eyes on George's face. "What is it, Georgie?"

"Rube asked you a question, Delores. He wants to know when you are going out on your own. You're having more hands-on time than I ever did."

The slightly open look on her face quickly shuttered as she glanced away to stare at her plate once more. "I still don't feel like I have the hang of things," she murmured before taking a tiny bite of her food. "Perhaps in another month, I'll be ready to do this job alone."

"You don't have another month, Delores. You have today. Take your final lessons from George today and then be prepared for solo work tomorrow. Go on now, finish your food and get on with it."

George nodded and continued to watch Delores, even as Rube got out of the booth and made his way out of the restaurant. "I'm not going to be ready in a day. I don't think I'll ever be ready. Maybe Rube should just find a different Reaper."

"It doesn't work like that. We're chosen for this job, and we have to complete it to the best of our ability until it's time to move on."

"Well, then, maybe I want to move on."

George sighed as she shook her head. "It doesn't work like that, either. There is something in the heart that signals to the Higher Power we're ready. It took Daisy eighty years to reach that point."

"Eighty years? Eighty years of snuffing out life?" The words were soft, almost like she was swallowing them, and George had to swallow yet another sigh, since she didn't want to upset Delores. "So many lives to end before I can move on to my peace. I don't suppose that it's possible to end everything in this half life the way I ended things in my previous existence?"

"No, there's no way for that to occur. I've heard stories of Reapers who did try that and the worst they ended up with was something like the flu for a few days, and then they were back to doing their job again. I wish that things could be different, that you had been able to just move on to the next plane of existence, but something wants you here, doing this job. We only have a little time before our first Reap of the day."

What she failed to tell Delores, however, was that the job they were doing that day was a large one, taking a total of eight souls. While George didn't know what would cause something like that to happen, she knew that it wouldn't be pretty. And the aftermath was something she wasn't certain Delores could handle. Rube was being entirely too optimistic in having Delores start tomorrow alone, especially after a Reap like this one was going to be.

"I guess I'm ready, Georgie girl," Delores said as she touched her arm familiarly.

"Okay." She slid out of the booth and made her way towards the doors, somehow knowing that the older woman was following her closely. "Do you want to drive today? You might know where this park is, better than I would."

George handed Delores the sticky note with the location on it, watching her carefully as they stood in front of the car. There was a faint flicker of recognition on her face, and that was all George needed to know as she scurried to the passenger side of the car and climbed into the seat, watching as Delores shook her head a little before she also got into the car and started it up.

The drive to the park was quiet, and once they were there, George began to scope out potential groups that would need their attention. "Who are we looking for today, then?"

George had to fumble for an answer, and in that extra moment, Delores plucked the sticky note from her hand and let out a low groan. "This is just a test of your skills, Delores. Rube needs to know that you're ready to do this on your own, and I have every confidence that you can pull this off."

There was no answer from Delores, and when George went to look at her, she saw that she was crying once more. Reaching across the car, she covered Delores's hand with her own, finding that the touch was soothing to herself. Delores turned her hand so that she was clasping it tightly, and George gave her a small nod before leaning over and looking into Delores's eyes. "Georgie girl?"

"You are amazingly resilient, and I believe in you. You told me those very words back when you thought I was Millie. And they stuck with me for so long, even when I was being an ungrateful brat. So, let's get out, do our jobs, and head home. I'll comfort you tonight, in whatever way you want."

"All right." And then Delores was turning her face so quickly that George wasn't prepared for the soft, sweet, kiss that touched her lips. "A kiss for courage is always the best way to move forward, even if it is a kiss between friends."

"Of course," she whispered as they stepped out of the car and began to look around the park. Unconsciously, George reached out and took hold of Delores's hand, as if she wanted to look like she was out with her mother on a late morning outing. She didn't pull away from George, which made her heart almost soar with delight. And she didn't know why that would be, since she hadn't exactly been on the friendliest of terms with Delores before her death. There had been something so lost in her, though, that it had called out to George's heart.

She was shaken from her reverie by Delores giving her hand a sharp squeeze, and she took a deep breath as she looked up into Delores's big brown eyes. There was a swirling miasma of pain, regret, and infinite care in that expressive gaze, and George felt that breath catch in her throat as she awaited what the woman was going to say.

"I think that's our group over there." The defeat in Delores's voice almost caused George herself to cry, and she bit her lip hard to keep from doing so as she looked to where the woman was pointing. Gathered around a picnic table was a group of eight older women, talking animatedly around the ruins of a birthday cake.

"I think you're right," she said softly, wondering what could cause so many women to pass at once. Taking another peek at the sticky note, she saw that they only had thirty minutes to complete their Reap. "All right, let's figure out a way to touch each of these women without coming off creepy. And Delores?"

"Yes, Georgie girl?"

"We have this." Delores gave her a sharp nod before leading her off in the direction of their chosen group, the expression on her face giving off the impression that she was the lamb being led to slaughter.


End file.
